The idea of turning one’s hobby into a business always seems exciting. In most cases, transforming hobbies into money-making activities is more difficult than people tend to think.

It’s true about wood carving as well. In case you’ve been thinking about making profits with your handmade items, there are many factors and hidden reefs you might want to take into account.

Of course, the first one is time. Time is the most critical thing when speaking of any business or entrepreneurship. Your calling will take all you can give. However, the result will be worth it.

So, here are some questions to answer and points to think over before you concentrate on doing business with wood carving. Again, take your time, and make sure your plan is thorough. Let’s go.

Are you good at it?

That’s the first and probably most important milestone to pass. It’s challenging, but you should try being unbiased and critical about yourself, your talent, and your wood-carving skill.

Can you offer something really worth buying? Are your talent and dedication real, or is it only your family’s way to encourage and support your activity? These questions may make you feel angry, but that’s exactly the purpose.

In case you’ve got even a slight doubt about your answer, you might want to postpone starting a business. Continue practicing, become better at wood carving, and come back to this idea later.

If you are good and able to prove it, that’s cool. Go on. New challenges await.  

You might need an upgrade

Are your instruments perfect for you and your purposes? Is your workplace comfortable enough? Are your raw materials of good quality?

When the wood carving is just a hobby, you can allow yourself to ignore some minor discomfort or lack of quality. A business can’t because there is one rule about it: your competitors are always better. Think about that.

 Calculate everything

When speaking of wood carving, one may understand it does not require too many investments to start that craft. You got inspired, bought some instruments, found wood, and made something with your hands. Perfect.

In turn, a business doesn’t work on inspiration. Money making is always about money accounting. How many funds will you need to start? How costly will be the equipment and material satisfying you with its quality? How much time are you ready to invest in your wood carving business every day? And, finally, what will be the price of your goods?

You need to know all that beforehand. Otherwise, the risk of losing money is high.

Don’t rush with registration

Many enthusiasts think of a business company registration as their first step towards becoming entrepreneurs. Although that procedure should be on your list of tasks to complete, it’s not the first priority.

Instead, try organizing some kind of a test drive for yourself. As you might understand already, starting a wood carving business based on a hobby will require you to reorganize your daily schedule and adjust your routine to it. Depending on the desired level of earnings, hours to invest in crafting will vary.

Give yourself a month or two of time to try things out and to find your money channels. That means…  

Find your clients

Yes, to make funds on wood carving, you need people who would be ready to buy the products you craft. Are you going to sell your items online? You need a website or a social media group to promote it and attract clients. Is your place popular among tourists? Consider opening a market spot with large daily traffic nearby.

People need to like what you do, of course. But first of all, your potential clients need to know you exist. Take care of that.

Prepare for difficulties

Most probably, it won’t be easy. Even if your products are of excellent quality, original design, and available at low prices (which is almost impossible), you’ll make mistakes and solve a lot of “baby business” problems. Again, be ready to invest much more time into it than you thought while making your first plans.

Difficulties will appear. The future of your newborn business depends on whether or not you allow them to break you.

Enjoy making money

Finally, if you are persistent and dedicated enough, your wood carving business will actually start bringing profits. They won’t be too high at the very beginning, simply because you won’t have enough time to cover all client orders alone. However, you might want to expand your business with time by hiring assistants. But that’s the topic for another story.

Try some more great articles:

• How to make an industrial rustic scaffold board dining table and bench
• Must-have essentials for home woodworking
• Things to consider when starting a woodworking business
• How to get started with furniture renovations
• What’s in your workshop: Basic woodworking tools to get you started